


hypothetically

by arcadianwriter (noxstories)



Series: dream smp drabbles [3]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Manipulation, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29165721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxstories/pseuds/arcadianwriter
Summary: "Hypothetically," Ranboo asks, voice small, "would you hate me?"[Or,Ranboo worries, and Techno does his best to provide rationality.]
Series: dream smp drabbles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141013
Comments: 7
Kudos: 255





	hypothetically

**Author's Note:**

> i have NEVER written these two before, so this was,, different!! i still had fun, lol, and feel a little more confident writing them fot future endeavors !!
> 
> this was taken from a prompt on my tumblr, where you can find this fic and others like it !! @dreamsclock , feel free to check it out and request a prompt that i'll write !! i'll post them all here and on tumblr :)
> 
> enjoy!!

“Would you hate me?”

The question, perhaps in typical Ranboo style, comes in a burst out of nowhere; Techno blinks, tries to figure out just what the hell brought such a heavy question on. He’s not exactly good at emotional conversations, and this seems like it requires someone who is. But Ranboo is looking at him out of the side of his eyes, trying to act casual as if Techno can’t see the way his fingers twist together, or the way he’s itching to start picking up dirt blocks and placing them down. He’s not an idiot. He knows something must have happened.

“Well,” he says, “that really depends on a lotta factors, man. I mean, you know, what stakes are we talking about in this hypothetical? Did you- I don’t know, steal my firstborn child and kill my entire family? Did you call me a mean name? ‘Cause it’s all about the context, Ranboo.”

“No, no, I know,” Ranboo replies, averting his gaze entirely, “I just- I have a hypothetical scenario in mind.”

Jesus, the kid looks terrified, like Techno’s going to pull out an axe and murder him on the spot. Stopping farming for now - even potatoes can wait - he turns to face Ranboo with empty hands to show he’s not a threat, but keeps his hand near his sword, just in case, he tells himself, just in case. Because Ranboo is fine, he’s cool, whatever, but Techno can’t let himself trust in him, not yet. He barely knows the kid - to trust him would be stupid, and would be even more stupid considering the stricken look on Ranboo’s face as if he really had murdered Techno’s entire family.

Techno thinks disparagingly of Tommy, of Wilbur. He doesn’t have a family. He doesn’t - Phil is a friend and doesn’t count - so it’s a pretty stupid hypothetical to pull up. “Hit me with it, then,” he prompts.

Ranboo takes a deep breath, fidgeting with his hands. “Hypothetically,” he begins, voice trembling, but there’s forced casualness to it too, like he’s trying so very hard not to break down, “hypothetically, if I were to… do bad things, and- and not remember them, and one day I do a really, really bad thing that- I don’t know, destroys the server? Would you- Would you hate me?”

Techno considers this for a moment. It’s a big question, one that doesn’t quite feel like the hypothetical that Ranboo wants it to be. “Hypothetically speaking, what sorta bad things?” He probes.

The enderboy looks sick, miserable and exhausted and like he’s seen far too much without deserving it. He’s had a rough time since joining Dream’s little world, Techno remembers, thrown right into things at the deep end, and really, in Techno’s non-medical advice, he probably needs a therapist or ten.

“Like… Trying to break Dream out of prison,” Ranboo mumbles it so quietly that Techno barely hears it, and when he does, his attention snaps to him like a spider to a fly, surprised despite himself, “like- like helping Dream without knowing it. What… would you say? Would you hate me?”

Techno stares. Assesses the situation. Reassesses the situation. Does it again. The, pulling out his hoe, begins farming again, gathering his words.

(He’s not oblivious to the way Ranboo flinches when he pulls it from his inventory, like he’d been expecting to be hit.)

“I’d say that Dream’s incredibly good at manipulating people, especially people he considers threats,” he says calmly, “and that he’s going to rot in that prison unless the warden says otherwise. That prison seems pretty inescapable to me. I think no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t break him out.”

He pauses, and then, awkwardly:

“Don’t think I’d hate you, no. It wouldn’t exactly be the worst crime anyone’s ever committed on this server. I don’t hate very easily.” Tommy in his stupid turtle-shell helmet comes to mind; Techno pushes him out of his mind resolutely, because he does hate Tommy, he tells himself, he does. “And I think you’re a good guy. Whatever’s happening to you in your sleepwalking state, Phil and me have got your back. Unless you do something really embarrassing, in which case I’ll call you a nerd and leave.”

Something drains out of Ranboo’s body, leaving his shoulders slumped in relief and his exhale shaky. “Really?”

“Really,” Techno confirms, “ _hypothetically,_ obviously.”

“Hypothetically,” Ranboo repeats, with the ghost of a smile, “well, hypothetically, do you- need a help with farming?”

No, is his first response, because he’s independent and doesn’t rely on anyone to do anything for him. And then he looks at Ranboo for a minute, properly looks at him, sees the earnestness and gratitude in his gaze. 

He tosses him a hoe. “Go on, then,” he agrees, “hypothetically, I wouldn’t mind a hand.”

_Hypothetically,_ Techno thinks as Ranboo begins, maybe having family isn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> happy ending pog !! techno and ranboo are super interesting to me and deserve a found family smh,, if only this were canon,,
> 
> thank you so much for reading !! if you enjoyed, please leave a kudos and comment - it means the world to me, and i love reading them !!
> 
> tysm again, have a wonderful day <3


End file.
